The Captain Could Move Forward Alone

Yu Tianheng saw that he was in first place. He didn't ask why, but simply tightened his arm guards again. Dong Jian was placed later in this round, after two consecutive individual matches.

There were no injuries to her lower back or hips, and her right ankle showed no obvious problems. Yet, Ye Lingling still gave a different assessment.

"Tired."

Yu Feng laughed after hearing this.

"Is this considered a diagnosis?"

Ye Lingling looked at him.

Do you want me to explain it to you in more detail?

"No."

Qin Ming put down the information about today's opponent.

"You guys have been watching too much Dong Jian lately."

"Let's see the captain today."

Yu Tianheng raised his eyes.

What's so interesting about me?

Qin Ming said, "Let's see how far you can go by yourself." It was an individual qualifying round. There was no Dong Jian pointing out which lane was about to break, and no Li Man paving the way beforehand.

There was no Dugu Yan to suppress the space on the front. One after another, they went up and took down their opponents. Yu Tianheng stepped onto the arena. The opponent's first Soul Master was already waiting. A level 40 Defense System.

The Martial Soul Rock-Backed Rhinoceros was thick-bodied and stood firmly. Upon seeing Yu Tianheng approach, his first reaction was to protect his chest and brace his arms. The match began, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Rex was activated.

Lightning bolts spread from Yu Tianheng's right arm all the way to his shoulder. In the first round, he charged straight ahead, without going around. Bang! The Thunderclap collided head-on with the rock armor. His opponent took a half step back, Yu Tianheng was also brought to a stop by the recoil.

The second punch was about to land. The Rock-Backed Rhinoceros Soul Master had already lowered his center of gravity again. In the past, Yu Tianheng would likely have continued to press down. Now, he paused for a moment.

He didn't retreat or hesitate; he simply held back his second punch, not delivering it into his opponent's most secure position. Before the impact could occur, his opponent raised his head first. Yu Tianheng's left foot had already moved half a step outward.

The lightning bolt sliced from the front to the side. The second punch landed. Bang! Both were made of rock armor, but the direction of the force was different. The opponent's upper body clearly tilted to one side. Yu Tianheng activated the Thunder Dragon Body on the third attempt.

His legs, shoulders, and chest were simultaneously covered with Dragon Transformation features. He suddenly rose up with a burst of energy. He didn't throw random punches afterward; his third punch specifically targeted the angle that had just been missed.

One strike, then another. The Rock-Backed Rhinoceros Soul Master retreated repeatedly, finally forced to the sideline. First victory. Yu Tianheng did not immediately withdraw his Martial Soul. His second opponent had already come up.

This person was clearly different. Level 41, Agility Attack System. Martial Soul: Green-Tailed Marten. Very fast. He didn't fight Yu Tianheng head-on. He circled around from the start, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right.

He would occasionally get close enough to deliver a blow, then retreat immediately. Yu Feng watched from the sidelines for a few moments.

"This guy's just here to walk him around."

Osler said, "Trying to wear down the Thunder Dragon Body." Indeed, Yu Tianheng's greatest strength lies in direct burst damage. The longer the Thunder Dragon Body lasts, the greater the burden on his muscles and joints.

If an agile attacking Soul Master doesn't engage, it's difficult to turn a direct advantage into a knockdown. The opponent had clearly studied this strategy. On the first initiation, Yu Tianheng chased after him for three steps.

The Green-Tailed Marten immediately turned and pulled away again. The second time, he only chased for two steps. The third time, the other party just brushed past him on the left, and Yu Tianheng didn't even chase; he simply stopped in place.

The agile Soul Master glanced back. His planned next change of direction was now meaningless. Yu Tianheng stood there, the lightning not dissipating, but motionless.

Why don't you chase after them?

The opponent asked first.

You will come back.

"Why?"

You have to hit me eventually.

The other person didn't speak. Dong Jian smiled from the sidelines. Li Man looked at him.

"Why are you laughing?"

You said that to me before.

I'm referring to Feng Xiaotian.

"Almost."

"Very different."

On the field, the Green-Tailed Marten Soul Master still had to return. The qualifying rounds weren't about who could circle around the longest; to win, you had to launch effective attacks. For his fourth incursion, he deliberately came from behind Yu Tianheng.

It was incredibly fast. The claws were close to his shoulder. Yu Tianheng didn't turn around beforehand. He waited until the opponent was within attack range before stomping his right foot, and Thunderclap exploded from the ground.

His body remained in place, only twisting half a circle. His Dragon Transformation right arm was positioned directly across the path of the attack. Bang! The Green-Tailed Marten Soul Master was knocked back head-on for the first time.

He wanted to leave as soon as he landed. Yu Tianheng chased after him for one step. He didn't chase after him for the second step. He stopped. The other party thought he was going to wait again. Just as he was about to cut in the opposite direction, Yu Tianheng had already changed direction.

The previous step was only to reduce the angle. The space that the Green-Tailed Marten could run was reduced by the sideline of the arena and Yu Tianheng's position. He could only return from the remaining side.

This time, Yu Tianheng was already there. His Thunder Dragon Body erupted completely, and he landed a punch. His opponent crossed his arms to block, but was still forced to slide backward until his feet went out of bounds.

The second victory. The shouts from the stands suddenly grew louder. There was no eternal fourth ring, nor any special self-created tactics. What the stands saw was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

Strong enough in direct confrontation, but not so strong that he would only chase after his opponent. The third opponent appeared, a level 42 Power Attack System. Yu Tianheng stood on the stage without leaving immediately, but Qin Ming raised his hand.

"Get down."

Yu Feng was stunned.

"Can you still fight?"

Yu Tianheng looked at Qin Ming. Qin Ming asked, "How's your leg?" Yu Tianheng moved his right knee.

"It still works."

"Where's your shoulder?"

"Acid."

"Then get down."

Yu Tianheng didn't say "I can still win," nor did he stay for the sake of two consecutive victories. He put away his Martial Soul and walked off the stage. Shi Mo took third place. Shi Mo didn't win.

However, it consumed a lot of the opponent's Soul Power. Osler went up fourth. He found an opening by speed. Imperial Fighting Team still won the whole round in the end. When Yu Tianheng sat back in his position.

Yu Feng is still saying:

"You could have chased the second person for a while longer."

Yu Tianheng drinks water.

"Chasing doesn't necessarily mean winning faster."

"You've stopped learning now too."

Yu Tianheng looked at him.

"I didn't know how to stop before?"

Yu Feng thought for a moment.

"In the past... there were fewer."

Dong Jian remained silent. He saw things more clearly than Yu Feng. Yu Tianheng's several pauses today were completely different from his own Returning and Receiving; there was no effort being released.

There was no Circular Rotation, nor did he connect the previous physical momentum to the next. He simply knew when continuing to pursue would turn his positive advantage into a meaningless waste.

Then stop. Press down again next time. This is Yu Tianheng's own stuff. Dong Jian said, "Pretty good." Yu Tianheng looked over.

"What?"

"That step you just took."

Which step?

"I didn't pursue that step."

Yu Tianheng understood.

"Is this even considered a step?"

"Calculate."

"Then you keep your own."

Dong Jian smiled.

"OK."

Qin Ming closed the match record next to him.

That's why I didn't tell you all to learn Dong Jian's style.

"Everyone's Martial Soul is different."

"The things that should grow are also different."

Li Man asked, "What did the captain grow today?" Qin Ming looked at Yu Tianheng.

"He knows it himself."

Yu Tianheng didn't give a name, nor did he need one. The subsequent round didn't become easier just because Yu Tianheng was eliminated.

Shi Mo first faced off against the third Power Attack System, relying on his Black Tortoise Martial Soul to withstand several attacks and absorb the opponent's strongest burst of power. When he was forced to the sideline, he voluntarily conceded defeat and left the field, refusing to trade injury for any loss.

When Osler took over, the opponent's Soul Power was no longer at its peak. The Ghost Leopard avoided a direct confrontation, instead attacking from the side three times in a row, only taking short-range attacks. On the fourth attempt, it seized the opportunity when the opponent's turning speed slowed down, breaking through the protective Soul Power with a single claw and forcing the opponent out of the effective range.

The fourth opponent came up, and Osler was quickly suppressed again. Imperial Fighting Team continued to make substitutions. After a whole round, the captain's two consecutive victories were impressive, but he did not finish the remaining matches for others.

Dong Jian actually preferred this outcome. If Yu Tianheng had defeated everyone in one fell swoop today, people would only remember that Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was strong. Now, everyone has to take their own turn; that's what the qualifying rounds are all about.

Qin Ming didn't write "two consecutive victories" in the record, but only wrote two sentences. First: Consistent frontal defense penetration ability. Second: Against highly mobile opponents, the number of pursuit attacks decreased significantly, and angle control improved.

After reading it, Yu Tianheng pushed the notebook back.

The second sentence is more useful than the first.

Qin Ming asked, "Why?"

I already knew the first sentence.

Dong Jian couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. Yu Tianheng glanced at him.

"If your circle hasn't closed, don't laugh at others."

I wasn't talking about you.

It's written all over his face.

Yu Feng leaned closer. "I can vouch for you, no."

"Shut up."

The atmosphere quickly relaxed. For Imperial Fighting Team, the biggest change in the final rounds of the qualifying tournament was that everyone was using other people's paths to measure themselves less and less.

After the competition ended, the latest scores were updated again. The rankings of the Imperial Fighting Team team remained stable. Shrek in the other group has also basically secured its qualification. Godwind, Blazing Fire, Skywater Academy, and Thunderclap are also in the top positions.

Only one round of the qualifying matches remains. Yu Feng looked at the leaderboard.

"It's almost over."

Qin Ming said, "After we finish fighting, we just move on to the next place and continue fighting."

"Spirit City?"

"Um."

Everyone fell silent for a moment. They had trained at the academy for so long, played so many matches in the preliminaries, and then had each person reviewed individually in the qualifying rounds.

The finals are finally approaching.